I watched this video about Justices New South West launched two new social media pages on Facebook and Weibo - a microblog that is widely used by Chinese students. This movement is quite helpful in targeting on international students to get help when needed.
I have heard a lot of international students said that they did not know what to do when they got into trouble. It is important for students to ask help, but it is more important to know whom to ask help for. The launch of social media pages has been a great help. I have seen Emory did very similar things. There are web pages on Facebook called Emory complaints and Emory secrets in which students can say any opinions they have anonymously. These websites have been great success because a lot of Emory students get involved. Many of them are not only posting what they think, but also comment on the posts that they are interested in. For example, one student posted on Emory Secret saying that it was a relief that she had finally graduated with the degree in art history, which was always what SHE wanted to pursue for. However, she lied to her parents who thought that she was pursuing for a medical career which was what THEY had hoped for. In the comments, some people praised her courage to make her own decision; however, some disagreed and argued that she should not lie to her parents while spending their money. People’s active participations made the post a hot topic and it also made us think about what education really meant.
Another example would be the great help of Weibo. As it is said in the video, Weibo has been really popular in China in the last few years. People post their thoughts and they share other information that either they think is funny or important. In 2010, when two Chinese students who studied in USC were shot, a lot of Chinese students shared this information on Weibo, asking anyone who knew the victims to contact the victims’ families. Finally, the community power made the story widely spread and, at the same time, motivated people to increate their awareness of safety both on and off campus. It is interesting that we are living in a virtual community, doing something that we could easily do online but not in our daily life. The spread of information is absolutely helpful to international students and makes their life easier than ever.
I have heard a lot of international students said that they did not know what to do when they got into trouble. It is important for students to ask help, but it is more important to know whom to ask help for. The launch of social media pages has been a great help. I have seen Emory did very similar things. There are web pages on Facebook called Emory complaints and Emory secrets in which students can say any opinions they have anonymously. These websites have been great success because a lot of Emory students get involved. Many of them are not only posting what they think, but also comment on the posts that they are interested in. For example, one student posted on Emory Secret saying that it was a relief that she had finally graduated with the degree in art history, which was always what SHE wanted to pursue for. However, she lied to her parents who thought that she was pursuing for a medical career which was what THEY had hoped for. In the comments, some people praised her courage to make her own decision; however, some disagreed and argued that she should not lie to her parents while spending their money. People’s active participations made the post a hot topic and it also made us think about what education really meant.
Another example would be the great help of Weibo. As it is said in the video, Weibo has been really popular in China in the last few years. People post their thoughts and they share other information that either they think is funny or important. In 2010, when two Chinese students who studied in USC were shot, a lot of Chinese students shared this information on Weibo, asking anyone who knew the victims to contact the victims’ families. Finally, the community power made the story widely spread and, at the same time, motivated people to increate their awareness of safety both on and off campus. It is interesting that we are living in a virtual community, doing something that we could easily do online but not in our daily life. The spread of information is absolutely helpful to international students and makes their life easier than ever.